The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has criticized what it described as “the grossly insensitive and crassly opportunistic comments attributed to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) over the tragic killing of innocent citizens by some enemies of the state in Malumfashi, Katsina state”, recently.
In a statement issued on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary,
Barr Felix Morka,
the APC said: “It is a thing of national tragedy when lives of innocent and law abiding citizens are cut down by forces of evil and terror. It is despicable and must be condemned by all Nigerians. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families of the victims of this and other incidents.
“Events like this remind us of our common humanity and citizenship, and beckon on all of us, irrespective of ethnicity, religion or political affiliation, to stand together as one to combat and defeat these soulless forces of terror.
“It is also an occasion to encourage and support the valiant members of our security forces in the frontlines of the war on terror, who put their lives on the line everyday for our peace and safety.
“It is not an occasion for insensitive and crassly opportunistic politics as the ADC has busied itself with. It is in extreme bad taste for the ADC to attempt to exploit this tragic event for inordinate partisan political points.
“The party’s suggestion that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria must remain grounded and go no where but sit in anticipation of attacks by shadowy forces of terror is remarkably lame and senseless, and shows the ADC to be without any understanding of government and its workings.
“The ADC’s unproductive indulgence in peddling false narratives and obscene propaganda is exactly the reason for their miserable showing in the just concluded by-elections in the country, turning up zero scores everywhere.
“You would think that they would draw some lessons from the by-elections outcomes and understand that spewing falsehood and half truths in press statements is not exactly an effective election-winning strategy. ADC has enough Atiku-mess on their hands, and should focus on fixing themselves, and quit chasing shadows.
“The President’s strategic international engagements are critical for attracting foreign investments, strengthening security partnerships, and securing the military support necessary to combat terror and other crimes. Given the imperative of global cooperation to national development, and the fierce competition for scarce resources, Nigeria cannot afford to live in isolation and cannot combat terror and other security challenges all on its own.
“It was just a few days ago that Boko Haram founder’s son and two Ansaru leaders were captured in joint Nigeria-Chad raids which have been widely hailed as major anti-terrorism breakthroughs. While the ADC engages in worthless rhetoric, the APC-led administration of President Bola Tinubu is actively working with security agencies to track down the perpetrators of this dastardly acts and bring safety and comfort to our people.
“President Tinubu has consistently demonstrated his unflinching commitment to the safety and security of every Nigerian. Recent deployments of special forces and advanced technology to crisis-prone areas provide clear evidence of that commitment. The administration is implementing comprehensive measures, including review of the country’s National Security Strategy, increased defence budget and spending for drastically enhanced capacity, regional and international partnerships for intelligence sharing as well as community-based interventions to tackle insecurity at the local levels.
“The APC remains focused on delivering solutions, and will not be distracted by mischievous political theatrics that is the staple of chatterbox ADC. We urge all stakeholders to support the administration’s determined efforts to secure our nation. May God protect our troops as they defend our dear homeland,” the statement added.
